by Lillian Pao (’18) Palm oil is harvested from the African oil palm cash crop and is used in cooking oil, fast foods, cosmetic products, and household cleaners. Because of the demand for these products, the production of palm oil in the humid tropics continues to increase and often leads to deforestation of tropical forests. Professor Varsha Vijay from Duke University and his colleagues decided … Continue reading The Effects of Palm Oil Deforestation
by Amanda Ng (’17) Much of the mental health profession, both today and in the past, has been focused on alleviating the psychological distress experienced by the everyday person, which is often anxiety or depression. An individual’s psychological well-being, or often lack thereof, can affect their cognitive and physical processes, leading to changes in their physical and mental health. The theory of attachment hypothesizes that … Continue reading The Effect of Mindfulness on Adult Attachment
by Julia Newman (’19) The Journal of Molecular Psychiatry recently published research that suggests a factor of predictability in children’s educational achievement. Previous studies have assumed that variances among children’s school performances may be explained by one large difference in their genetic makeup, but Dr. Selzam and his team of researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience in London found that it is … Continue reading Predicting Your Child’s Likelihood to Succeed
by Amanda Ng (’17) The theory of attachment states that the development of a secure attachment to a primary caregiver during the first two years of life predicts aspects of one’s life, such as behavior in adult relationships and overall well-being. In infancy, a secure or insecure attachment is developed when a primary caregiver is either consistently or inconsistently responsive to the child, leading the … Continue reading Adult Attachment in the Sexual Minority
by Julia Newman (’19) At the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Poland, Dr. Charzynska and his team of researchers conducted a study in order to determine the effect of employment on schizophrenic patients and found some promising results. Although schizophrenia itself currently has no cure, there are both medicinal and therapeutic forms of relief for the symptoms associated with the disorder. Thus, in this … Continue reading Employment May Aid Schizophrenics
by Amanda Ng (’17) Many studies conducted in the field of social psychology have been dedicated to creating lasting relationships. Previous studies have shown that the presence of forgiveness in a relationship indicates successful conflict resolution and lower levels of stress. This leads to higher satisfaction in relationships, whether they continue or end. In a recent study led by Dr. Tsukasa Kato of the Department … Continue reading Forgiveness Predicts Lasting Relationships
by Julia Newman (’19) Oilseeds are incredibly valuable in our society because they are applicable to a wide array of industries. Currently, soybeans, sunflowers, and rapeseeds are the most commonly used plants for their oils due to their high nutritional value, ability to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and large quantity of oil extracted per plant. However, it was recently discovered by Dr. Sorkheh … Continue reading The Many Advantages of Almonds
by Aaron Gochman (’18) Structural biology is a division within biological research that aims to discover the atomic structures of molecules and understand their functions. In a recent paper, an international team of scientists discovered the crystal structure of doublecortin-C, a protein important for neurogenesis. Doublecortin-C plays a role in maintaining the structure of neurons in the brain; mutations in this protein have been known … Continue reading New Structure in Brain Maturation Discovered
by Jenna Mallon (’18) Wind speed is an important area of climate study because it has lasting effects on climate variations. In the Southern Hemisphere, studies involving wind speed are unavailable, despite there being research on air temperature and precipitation. As a result, Luiz Felipe N. Cardoso from the Department of Meteorology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and a team of researchers … Continue reading Long Term Trends for Wind Speed
by Aaron Gochman (’18) Ligand-gated ion channels are typically associated with receptors that are activated or deactivated upon the binding of a chemical messenger known as either an agonist or antagonist, depending on whether they activate (agonists) or deactivate (antagonists). One class of ion channels, the TRP family, has been known to be activated by thermal stimuli. Thermal stimulation of TRP ion channels certainly represents … Continue reading Mustard Oil and Menthol: More Than Just Food Products
by Jenna Mallon (’18) Emulsions, mixtures containing two immiscible liquids, are used in a variety of industries including food, paint, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and oil/gas. Emulsions play a large role in petroleum production since they exist at every stage of production, from crude oil to the refined petroleum. Issues arise when it comes to the transport of petroleum: the emulsions in the petroleum may contain solids … Continue reading Bio-Diesel Enhances the Flow of Emulsions in Pipelines
by Aaron Gochman (’18) Though visual signaling and processing is detected in the eye, information must still make its way to the brain. Photoreceptors in the retina function as transducers of these signals. However, damage to photoreceptor cells can cause not only blindness but also several types of retinal diseases. Designing therapies that target photoreceptor cells has proven to be challenging given the many G-protein … Continue reading A New Approach For Treating Retinal Pathologies
Young Investigators Review 